Kupa'a Kane
by HipsterMaybe
Summary: When Rachel comes to Danny for help in stopping a threat to her and Grace, he is involved in the fight of his life against a man he never thought capable of such violence. Rated T for safety, but let me know if it need adjusting. Can be really anywhere in the third season.
1. Chapter 1

It was one of those rare, quiet mornings at the Five-0 offices. They had come in at a decent time this morning, instead of being called in at some un-godly hour to investigate. Detective Danny Williams sat on one of the chairs in the main room with his friends and colleagues. To celebrate being able to wake up on their own schedule, they had decided to have a team breakfast. They sat there laughing and joking over coffee and malasadas, just enjoying each other's company. Danny was grateful for the brief respite. Five-0 rarely had any down time and he was happy. And then Rachel walked through the doors and into the office. Danny did a double take when he saw her and he searched his mind for any possible reason she could be angry with him. That would be the only reason she'd ever come down here. But then he realized that couldn't be it. Besides the fact that she didn't look angry, she had Grace with her, and Danny and Rachel would never fight around Grace. Rachel timidly stepped through the glass doors. The whole way she carried herself seemed…odd. Steve was the first of his friends to notice her.

"Uhhhh, hi Rachel." He said, giving her a wave and a friendly, if slightly confused smile. He too had picked up on her demeanor.

"Hello Steve." She replied shyly. "Danny, could…could we talk? In private?" she asked. Her voice was quiet and a little hoarse.

"Ummm, sure. We can talk in my office. Gracie, why don't you stay out here and finish my donut, okay?" The little girl nodded and took Danny's vacated seat. She began to chatter away happily with the rest of the team. Steve caught Danny's eye as if to ask what was wrong. Danny shrugged and walked into his office. It was here that he got his first good look at Rachel. He could now identify the emotion behind Rachel's eyes. Fear. And then there was the way she was dressed. It was a hot day and she was dressed in long pants and long sleeves. Add that to the heavy makeup on her face, and Danny was starting to become really concerned.

"Rachel?" he said gently.

"I…Danny, I'm sorry. It's just, I don't know where to turn I…" she broke off and fell silent, staring at the floor. Then Danny saw it. A bit of black and purple peeking out from beneath her sleeve. He gently grabbed her hand and rolled back her sleeve. He was sickened by what he saw. Vivid bruises covered her entire arm. Some of them appeared to be in the shape of fingers. He looked at her face again and lightly tilted her chin up. Beneath her foundation he could see the discoloration of more bruising.

"Rachel, who did this to you?"

"I…God I'm so stupid!" she started to cry.

"No you're not, okay? Why didn't you call the police?"

"B-because h-he'll kill me!"

"Who? I need a name and I promise he won't hurt you again." Rachel took a shuddering breath.

"Stan."


	2. Chapter 2

**So, uh tell me what you think! Let me know your thoughts in the reviews! Enjoy!**

"What?" Danny asked, in a low, deadly whisper. "Stan did this to you?! Why didn't you call the police, or me?"

"I told you! He said he's kill me and Grace if I ever told anyone! I'm sorry, I was just so scared that he'd actually do it. You've never seen him when he's angry."

"Well you did the right thing by coming to me. I'm gonna take care of this and Stan won't bother you again." Danny paused a moment. "What made you change your mind?"

"Last night, I noticed the bruises on Grace. To hurt me is one thing, but I couldn't have Grace be in danger."

"That son of a bitch is going down. He is not going to get away with hurting you or my daughter."

"Thank you. I know I've been awful to you this past year, but…"

"Hey, that doesn't matter now, ok?" she sniffed and nodded. "Alright, now as much as I want to go over there and beat his ass right now, I don't want to risk him walking. This means I can only have minimal involvement in this case or else it would look biased. You're gonna have to let my team help you. Can you do that for me?"

"Mmmmmhhhmmm." She nodded.

"Do you know where Stan is right now?"

"He's on business on the mainland, but he flies back tonight."

"Okay, good. I'm going to go fill them in on what's happening." He walked back into the main office. Steve glanced up and, judging by the concerned look on his face, he had been watching then through the glass.

"Monkey, why don't you take your phone and go play a game in Uncle Steve's office. Earbuds in okay, 'cause we have some adult things to talk about." Danny knew it was weak, but Grace was happy to comply. Danny didn't want to bring her in until absolutely necessary. When she was out of earshot, Steve turned his gaze to Danny.

"What was that about? Is Rachel okay?"

"Guys, I really need your help with this one."

"Of course. You know we got your back brah." Chin said kindly. Danny sighed.

"It's about Stan."

"Is he in trouble again?" Steve asked.

"Your damn right he is. Rachel showed me the bruises he gave her."

"Wait…Stan's abusing her?"

"Yeah. Rachel was too scared to come forward before. He threatened to kill them if they did. But then Grace showed her the bruises she had from Stan. Now, as much as I want to rip his head off, I want him in jail more. I need your help. If I have anything more than a minor part in this, Stan could walk because it's a conflict of interest. That means I can't handle any evidence or be there for the arrest, especially if it gets violent."

"You got it partner. Anything you need. That asshole hurt Gracie and beat the crap out of Rachel. Trust me, he won't get away with this." Steve growled, anger evident in his features.

"Thanks. I'm trying to leave Grace out of this as long as possible. Eventually her bruises will need to be photographed though. According to Rachel, they're all over her body."

"I'll handle that. And I can process Rachel as well. It might be easier coming from another woman." Kono offered. Danny nodded and gave her a smile and she went to talk to Rachel.

"I'll talk to Duke and get a few officers to follow Stan when he gets home until we have substantial evidence." Chin said, pulling out his phone and going to his office."

"Okay, Danny. I got something you can do. We need to set up a safe house where Rachel and Grace can stay until this is over. Any of our places are out because that's what Stan would assume. I don't want him making good on his threat to kill them." Danny gave Steve a grateful smile. He hated being this useless in a case. At least now he had something to do.

"Do you want me to talk to Grace?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, it might be easier. She loves you. And Steve…thank you. This means a lot to me."

"Rachel and Grace are family. I'd do anything for them just like I know you'd do anything for us. We take care of our own. When Mary Ann was kidnapped, I just about lost it. If you hadn't been there to keep me focused, the Yakuza would have killed her. When I was in prison, you gave up everything to clear my name. You don't need to thank me. I got your back no matter what brother." With that, he smiled and went into his office to talk to Grace. Any thought that he was alone on this island disappeared then and there. He was touched that his friends would just drop everything and, without a second thought, help him. Danny borrowed Kono's office and began to search for safe houses. After a few minutes, he found a good one. It was a nice little cottage in Kahuku. There was even a small pond out back where Grace could swim. He made some calls to Witness Protection and in five minutes, everything was ready for them. The cops that were assigned to protect them were personal friends of his from his days at HPD. _Now what?_ Danny thought. He hated being useless. He couldn't help Chin, and Steve and Kono were still talking to Rachel and Grace. He had to fight not to succumb to his overwhelming desire to but a bullet between Stan's eyes. Stan sure had fooled him. Was his willingness to take that bullet when Rick Peterson had Grace all just a lie? Danny shook his head. He had to be useful somehow. Since they couldn't return to the house to grab clothes, Danny decided to go back to his apartment to gather up some things from her closet there. Then he'd go shopping and get Rachel some clothes. He couldn't afford Prada, but Rachel had confessed to him that she only dressed like that so she'd look more like the trophy wife Stan wanted.

Three hours later, he was back with bags packed for both of them. Kono was with Rachel and Grace, documenting the bruising. Steve was waiting for him in his office.

"You go shopping?" he asked, pointing to the two duffles in his hand. One was maroon and the other was pink with stars all over it.

"I figured I pack a bag for them since they can't go back to the house. I needed to do something. How did it go with Grace."

"You got one tough kid, I'll give you that. She was really brave the whole time. She told me all she could remember."

"I'm gonna regret this, but I need to know. What all did he do to her?" Steve hesitated a moment. No father should have to hear this.

"Well, she's lucky. Only bumps and bruises. I checked for broken bones and concussions, but didn't find anything. She…she told me how he would come home mad, usually at you for making her stay here instead of going to Vegas. He'd yell at Rachel and then he'd always start drinking and, from what Grace said, popping pills. After that he'd start hitting her. Your daughter saw this and confronted him on her own, telling him to back off Rachel or she'd call the cops. That's when he started hitting her. When he was done, Stan told her if she called the cops, she'd kill Rachel…and you. Grace said he talked about killing you all the time." Danny let his breath out slowly and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I want this bastard to rot in prison. Actually, I'd like beat the ever living crap out of him, but being that that is illegal, I'll settle for prison."

"You're doing a lot better than I would be in your shoes. I know this can't be easy for you."

"I just wish I could do something."

"I know. But you have. Think about it. If Rachel hadn't trusted you enough to come to you, she and Grace could have died. Kono said she wouldn't go to HPD because Stan had a lot of friends there. I told Chin and he put out a gag order on this to anyone but the cops he hand selected. Most of them were related to Chin somehow."

"I swear that family makes up over half of this island." Steve gave a small laugh. Just then, Kono came back with Rachel and Grace. Grace was as energetic as ever and Rachel, while her shoulders had lost a bit of stress, still looked terrified.

"Okay, we've gotten a safe house ready for you. The three officers guarding you are all personal friends of mine, so don't worry about any of them being Stan's men." Danny spit out Stan's name like it was poisonous. "Since you can't go back back to the house just yet, I packed a bag for Grace and I picked up some clothes for you." Rachel looked at the bag, then threw her arms around Danny.

"Thank you so much. I…I couldn't have done this without you. Any of you." Danny felt her tears soaking into his shirt. He overcame his initial shock and hugged her back.

"Shhhh…hey, hey, hey. It's gonna be alright. We're gonna find Stan, we're gonna take him down, and then I'll come get you guys." They broke apart and Danny knelt down in front of Grace.

"Hey Monkey. You been so brave and I want you to know how proud I am of you. You and your mom are gonna take a little vacation and I'll come get when this whole thing with Stan is done. I love you so much, baby. Can I get a hug?" Grace hugged her father tightly and it was plain for all to see how much they loved each other. Grace put her mouth to his ear and whispered to him in voice only Danny could hear.

"I love you, Danno. Be careful. Stan's really mad at you."

"I will, I promise sweetie." There were hugs all around and then Officer Sam Mahelona, a good friend of Danny's and probably related to Chin and Kono, came in. He carried their bags down to the unmarked car they would be taking to the safe house, and then he drove off with Rachel and Grace after promising to guard as if they were his own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so I want this story to be kind of redemption for Rachel's character. I don't think she's that bad. I hope that doesn't upset ya'll.**

With nothing more to contribute to the case, Danny drove home. The rest of his team had gone to Stan's house to arrest him as soon as he got home. All he could think about was how much it had taken him by surprise. Stan? He had never come across as the violent type. He guessed he had never really spent that much time with the man. It sickened him to know what terrible things had gone on behind the pristine walls of their house. Still lost in thought, Danny didn't notice that his front door was already unlocked. He walked in and sank into his couch. As he sat, he heard something crinkle beneath him. It was a piece of paper that read "You really shouldn't have stuck your nose in his business. Goodbye, Detective." Danny looked around for an intruder. His eyes fell on the window and he saw the red dot of a laser sight. He moved slightly out of the way. A shot rang out. Then…darkness.

He woke up later. How much later, he didn't know. His head felt like it was about to explode and there was a sizable pool of blood around him. A loud Bon Jovi tune sang out across the apartment. Steve's ringtone, he remembered. He crawled over to the table where he had set his phone. He fumbled with it for a moment, then was able to hit the answer button.

"Steve…" Danny slurred.

"Hey Danno. Just letting you know we got Stan without any problems. HPD is taking him to lockup and we're searching the house for any weapons or those pills Gracie mentioned."

"St-steve"

"Danny, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Help…need help. They're not…safe."

"Okay Danno, you just hold on. We're comin' okay? Stay on the line with me."

"You have to…keep them safe." And Danny's world faded to black.

Steve entered Danny's apartment first, with Chin and Kono right behind him. The moment he saw Danny on the floor surrounded by blood, he knelt down next to him while the others cleared the other rooms. He placed two fingers on Danny's neck, relived to find a strong, if erratic pulse. He searched for the source of the blood and quickly found the graze just behind Danny's ear. Steve grabbed a dish towel and pressed it into the wound, causing Danny to groan in pain.

"Danny, can you hear?" he was rewarded with another groan. "I need you to open your eyes for me. Can you do that?" After a moment, his eyelids fluttered and opened halfway. It was clear to Steve that his pupils were uneven and slow to react.

"You with me partner?" Chin and Kono re-entered the room and knelt next to Danny.

" 'teve?"

"Yeah, buddy it's me. An ambulance is comin' so you just have to hold on a little longer. Think you can handle that?" Danny nodded, which he instantly regretted as it cause the pain in his head to flare up. He moaned and closed his eyes again. Danny was dimly aware that someone with small hands, Kono maybe?, was placing a pillow beneath his head.

"Stay with me Danno, you're doing great." He was about to lose consciousness, when he remembered the sniper. If they knew he was looking into Stan, did they also know where Rachel and Grace were?

"Steve, Rachel…Grace…you need to protect them. Sniper…he knew. Help them…" And darkness claimed him for the third time that night. Steve did his best to rouse him, but Danny's eyes remained stubbornly closed. The ambulance came and took Danny to the hospital along with Steve. Until they took down the shooter, he wanted to be damn sure no one hurt Danny again.

His head throbbed. As he made his way back to consciousness, he realized he was in a hospital.

"Steve." Steve jumped in surprise and nearly dropped the magazine he was holding.

"Danny! Jesus, you scared me. How do you feel?"

"I'm okay."

"Danny, you got shot in the head. Don't use that bullshit 'I'm okay' crap on me. How do you really feel?"

"Head hurts."

"Well, that's to be expected. Danny what's wrong?" His face had gone white as a sheet. "You okay? You gonna be sick?"

"No, Grace. Rachel. The sniper Steve. They're in danger!"

"Way ahead of you Danny. We upped the protection and moved them a few houses over. They're now at 821 Oceanview Road. " Danny sagged back into his pillow.

"So what's the damage?"

"Well, you lost a lot of blood, but they were able to replace it with transfusions. You have a nasty concussion, but nothing rest won't fix. No skull fracture though. You were lucky. Doc said it looked like you tried to duck away from the shot."

"Yeah. I saw the laser sight in the window." Steve's cell phone rang.

"Hey Chin. He's gonna be okay. He's awake now if you want to talk-wait what? You're joking right?! Okay, yeah. I'll head over there as soon as I can. You guys stay here and work the case. I want one of you with Danny at all times." He hung up.

"Steve, you have a face. The 'holy shit this can't be happening' face. What's wrong?"

"Stan escaped during the HPD transport. The driver was a friend of his apparently. He knocked out the other two officers and unlocked Stan's cuffs. I'm heading to Kahuku to protect Rachel and Grace. If Stan's guy told him the location, he might show up at the wrong house, but he'll still be in the same town. It would be too risky to move them right now." Danny's stomach clenched. He wanted more than anything to be there, protecting his family. "Chin's heading over here to keep watch and Kono's going to process the house. They several pounds of cocaine in Stan's safe and they're starting to think he's dealing. If that's true, than he's got more connections than we know of. I'll call you if anything changes."

"Steve…be safe."

"Always am, partner." He gave Danny a goofy smile and promptly tripped on his shoelaces. "Ignore that."

"God, McGarrett, if I didn't know you were good in a fight, I wouldn't have let your ass protect my family." Danny joked half-heartedly. " I'm serious though. Be careful."

"I will, Danny. You just get rest up and get better, alright?" with that, he left Danny alone with his worry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4! Thanks for sticking with me. I'm doing two stories at once (I know, bad idea) but I'll try to update regularly.**

Steve pulled up to the safe house in silver Chevy Malibu, having traded in his easily recognizable Silverado or the flashy Camaro for a more covert vehicle. He knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" called the deceptively trusting female voice through the door. Steve recognized the voice as Officer Maya Kamaka. She had graduated with Kono.

"McGarrett, responding to request for additional protection." The door cautiously opened. Kamaka knew him, but he was glad to see she was still checking for threats.

"Hey Commander. All quiet so far. Grace fell asleep on the couch and Rachel is in the kitchen." She let Steve in and returned to her post by the door. Steve walked down the hall to the living room, pausing to cover up Grace's toes with the blanket, then on to the kitchen. He knocked lightly on the doorframe.

"Can I join you?" he asked Rachel. She glanced up from her tea.

"Of course, Commander. Can get you a cup of tea?"

"That would be prefect, thank you. And Rachel, the least you can do is call me Steve." He smiled warmly and she returned his smile with her own shy quirk of the lips.

"How's Danny? The officers told me he had been hurt, but they didn't know how bad."

"He's got a nasty concussion, but he should be okay."

"What happened?"

"He…" Steve hesitated, not wanting to scare her. "He was shot in the head. He ducked just in time to avoid a fatal shot and managed to get away with only a graze."

"Oh my God…one of Stan's men you think?" Steve nodded. Tears began to slide down her cheeks. Her hands trembled and the tea cup fell to the floor and shattered. "I-I'm so sorry, Steve!"

"Hey, it's alright. Don't worry about it." He led her to a chair then picked up the fallen shards of china.

"This is my fault! I brought this straight to him and now he could've been killed!"

"Rachel, you have to know that Danny would do anything for you. He's glad you came to him. This is not your fault, okay?"

"Danny's always been so protective. Of everyone really. That's what made him such a good cop. And that's why I feared for him every single day he left for work. I still do. He's always valued everyone else above himself. I hated the constant worrying about whether he'd come every night, so I took the cowards way out. I left the man who only wanted to protect me and make this world safer for our daughter. I went and found myself a wealthy, stable man with a no risk job and look where it got me. I treated him so horrible! I wouldn't blame him if he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you Rachel. You may be divorced, but it's plain to everyone that you still love each other. He still cares for you."

"And I still care for him! All those times I threatened to take away Grace, I felt like I was just twisting the knife I put in his chest. I never wanted to challenge the custody agreement, but Stan threatened to take Grace away from me if I didn't. I wanted Grace to have more time with her father, but Stan wouldn't have any of it. It's not as if he actually cared for Grace…or me. We were just a payday. There for show. Who wouldn't go to Stan with their hotel idea? A man with a kid? It was just a business move."

"I'm sorry Rachel. You don't deserve this."

"Sometimes I think I do. Is this just fate getting back at me for what I did to Danny? You don't know how many times I wished Charlie was his."

"Where is Charlie?"

"With my sister in London. I wanted him to be safe so when my sister offered, I accepted. She doesn't know what's going on, but she suspects."

"I promise this is going to work out. We'll get Stan and he will go to prison. I will personally see to it that he doesn't get out ever."

"Thank you, Steve. You have no idea how much this means to me. To Grace. She loves you, you know. Talks about her Uncle Steve all the time."

"She's a great kid. I never had any experience with kids before Grace so it's nice to have her around. She's like her father in a lot of ways. Smart, strong-willed, stubborn, kind."

"Don't I know it. I swear she's her father in miniature." They both laughed. Then Steve heard it. A faint _pop!_ Anyone else would dismiss the sound as nothing, but to his trained ears, he recognized the sound of a silenced pistol.

"Rachel, take Grace and go hide in the closet in the hall. Wake her quietly." He said as he pulled his own Beretta.

"Steve, what's going on?" the fear was evident in her voice.

"Not sure. Just stay hidden and stay safe." He moved towards the door and was greeted with the sight of Kamaka's dead body. The officers were dead as well. He turned the corner, gun leading the way. Nothing. Then his head exploded in pain, and his world went black.

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Chin sat next to Danny, watching his friend's face get more worried by the second. He could tell that Danny felt awful. His skin was pale and the dark bags beneath his eyes were more pronounced than ever.

"Danny, you should rest. That was quite the hit you took."

"I'm good. Chin, I've tried Steve's cell at least ten times, and no answer. Something's wrong, Chin. He would've answered."

"Danny…"

"No, Chin I know this. Something's wrong."

"I agree something's up, but we sent more uniforms down there."

"Chin, I have to get down there."

"Danny, you just got shot. In the head!"

"My family is in danger, Chin. I need to be there." Danny began to get off the bed and oull out his IVs. Just then, his doctor came in.

"Detective, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry, Doc, but I got somewhere I gotta be. I'll sign whatever, but I need to go. Now."

Thirty minutes later, he was in the Camaro with Chin in the passenger seat. He had put on his old, bloodstained clothes and was now ignoring the pulsing pain in his head.

"Danny, slow down. You're gonna get us in a wreck before we even get there."

"No I won't. You forget, this is my car. I drive way better than Steve ever does." Chin had his doubts. They reached the safe house in record time. Guns leading the way, they checked the house. Empty, save for the dead bodies of at least six officers. Danny felt sick. Where were Rachel, Steve, his little girl?

"Chin, stay here and look for anything that might tell you where they are. I'm going to head out on foot to see if I can find anything."

"No way, Danny. You're in no condition to this."

"I don't care. Chin, please. I'm begging you." Chin knew when he was beat.

"Fine, but be safe, okay?"

"You too, man." And Danny jogged out of the house.

**Thoughts? Let me know! So, I totally forgot about Charlie up until now, so he's not going to be a big part in this story.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Just a heads up, I probably won't be able to post at all this weekend. I'm helping my sister move into her dorm! I will try to update soon though! Love you all.**

Steve awoke to a pounding in the back of his skull. He groaned and tried to raise a hand to the tender spot, but found that he was restrained. Looking around, he saw only darkness. He was beginning to panic, but not for himself. For Rachel and Grace. Feeling around with his fingertips, he was able to figure out that he was in a trunk of a car. He barely fit. He felt the lid of the trunk, but was disappointed to find that this was an older car, meaning it had no safety release on the inside. Pushing his rising fear down, his training kicked in. He searched his pockets and came up with his pocket knife. It seemed to be the one weapon they missed. He began sawing away at the zip ties that bound him. He stopped suddenly when he heard the sound of running near the trunk. He pretended to be unconscious once more. The footsteps faded, so he returned to cutting his binds. Finally, they gave way. He rolled over and inspected the locking mechanism. He could open it with his knife, but it would take time. However, with no other option, he began to work on the lock, praying he wasn't too late.

H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H5 0H50

Danny jogged down the street, looking for any sign of what had happened to Steve, Rachel, and Grace. He was passing an old house with an older car parked in the driveway. He was about to continue, when he heard it. Any parent would know the sound of their child's cries. As he got closer to the house, the faint cries rose in volume. They were mixed with the sobbing of a woman. _Rachel. _He thought. He crept past the car and knelt beneath the window. There was a miniscule gap in the curtains, through which he could see Rachel and Grace. They were duct taped to chairs in the center of the living room. Stan stood over them, gun in hand. His heart leapt to his throat as he strained to hear Stan's words.

"It's his fault anyway. He's the reason you left me!" Stan shouted angrily. Not that Danny had ever doubted Rachel, but he was still shocked to see this side of the mild mannered man. "I told you Rachel. I told you! If you went to him, I'd kill you. I didn't want to. We had a good thing!" Rachel stared back at him coldly. "But first, I'm going to kill _him._" At this, Grace's cries grew louder.

"No! Don't you hurt Danno! It's not his fault!" Stan slapped her across the face.

"That's enough out of you!" Danny could take it no longer. With his gun drawn, he kicked in the front door.

"Don't you _ever_ touch my daughter again."

"Ahhh, the man of the hour. At first I was disappointed to hear that my sniper had failed, but then I realized how much better this is. Throw your gun over here, or I shoot them. Now." Danny complied.

"You have me, Stan. I'm who you want. I'm the one who came between you two. Just let them go, and you can do what you want with me." Danny pleaded. Rachel shot him a look, as if to say _No, Danny! You are not getting killed because of me!_

"Isn't that noble?" Stan sneered. "You forget, Danny. That while I may hate you, this is about Rachel, and punishing her for her bad behavior. Or Grace, for that matter. She has been so disrespectful lately. Maybe I should teach her some respect." He said, raising his fist to the girl's face.

"No! You son of a bitch! Don't touch her!" Danny lunged forward and stepped in front of Grace. Stan hit him across his already injured head. Grace sobbed harder.

"DANNO!" Stan turned to her.

"Shut up!" Seeing an opportunity while Stan was distracted, Danny pulled out his pocket knife and placed it in Rachel's hand. She gave him a nod. Danny staggered to his feet once more, vision doubling and graying at the edges.

"What did we ever do to you Stan? Are you upset cause you got caught beating your wife and step child? News flash, that doesn't earn you sympathy!" Danny wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. He was just hoping to give Rachel enough time to free herself and possibly Grace too. Danny watched Stan's reaction. As he began to yell at Danny, his gun became more and more slack in his hand.

"You want to know what you did? How about screwing my wife? I know how Charlie was almost yours! You've been snooping too. You got way too close to my business!" _Business?_ Danny thought. Drugs maybe. The gun was held loosely now. Seizing his chance, he lunged at Stan and shoved him backwards to the floor. At that moment, Rachel managed to free herself as well as Grace.

"Grace, go outside! Run! I'll be right behind you!" Grace ran outside just as Steve burst out of the trunk and Chin came running up. They looked at her then ducked for cover as two gunshots sounded from the house.

**Cliffhanger! Gahh…I'm so mean. I'll update soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Howdy! Wow, I'm updating a lot today! Make sure and check out my other stories! Love you all my dears!**

_No._ Steve thought. He had heard the shouting even inside the trunk and he knew that it must have been Danny he heard walk past. That meant Danny was inside. Steve ran at full speed, while motioning Chin to keep Grace away. Whatever was inside, she didn't need to see. He burst through the door into the dead silence. Directly in front of, Rachel stood, shaking, with Stan's gun in her hand. Danny's gun lay across the floor. He followed the barrel across the room to Stan's chest. He lay, clearly dead, atop of Danny, who had yet to move. Quickly doing the math in his head, he realized that only one bullet had hit Stan and there had been two shots. He ran to his partner, Rachel not far behind. He roughly shoved Stan's body aside and frantically felt for a pulse.

"Come on Danny. Come on." Relief coursed through him when he felt a weak, fluttery, yet still beating pulse. With all the blood already on Danny's shirt, it was hard to find a wound so Steve ran his hands along Danny's torso. A spot on the left side of his chest came up wet and sticky. He quickly found the entry wound near his friend's ribs. Rachel wordlessly handed him her sweater to press into the wound. She called 911 and explained the situation, leaving Steve free to give Danny all his attention. Steve firmly pressed the balled up sweater into Danny's chest, causing him to stir.

"That's it partner, open your eyes. Come on man." Dull blue eyes flickered open halfway.

"Rachel…" he asked in a breathy whisper.

"Right here Danny." She answered, taking his clammy hand in her own.

"G-grace?"

"She's safe too. She's with Chin." Steve answered. Danny's eyes found Stan's body. He gave a small smile, then began to cough. As blood bubbled up from his lips, Steve's fears were confirmed.

"Steve, what's happening?!" Rachel asked, terrified.

"Damn it. The bullet punctured a lung. Help me prop him up so he doesn't choke. Steve had to give Rachel credit. She didn't hesitate to pull her ex-husband up into her lap. Danny's eyes started to close. Steve swore as he recognized the symptoms of shock. He could feel Danny grower weaker by the second.

"Come on Daniel, stay with me. You are not going to die on me, you here? Grace needs you. I need you!"

"Sorry…Rach." He gasped around the blood. He was trembling violently in her arms now, his ice cold hand barely grasping her own. "S-steve…"

"I'm right here buddy. You're doing great, just hang on a little longer, okay?"

"Can't…so cold." His eyes slipped shut and his body went slack. Rachel fumbled with his wrist. Tears started to pour down her cheeks.

"Danny, don't you dare die on me! Please!" She screamed in anguish. Steve couldn't believe.

"Lay him flat. I need to give him CPR. Do you know how to breathe for him?" she nodded. "Okay, two breaths, right now." She plugged his nose and forced air into his lungs twice before Steve began compressions. They repeated this three times before the paramedics arrived.

"What do we got?" The first medic asked.

"Gunshot wound to the chest, punctured lung. Heart stopped fifty seconds ago." Steve stood off to the side holding a distraught Rachel in his arms as the medics sent the current through him four times before he responded. His knees felt weak with relief. Soon, he was staring after the ambulance that had just left. Chin had already taken Grace to the hospital to get her injuries form Stan looked at.

"C'mon Rachel." Steve said, gently steering her towards the police car. The officer drove them to the hospital where they would await word on Danny. When they arrived, Kono was waiting for them.

"How's Grace?" Rachel asked.

"She's okay. She has a sprained wrist, but beyond that only bruises. She's mostly upset about Danny." Steve breathed out a sigh of relief. At least Grace was okay. Kono held up two bags. "I picked up some clothes for you. I figured you wouldn't want to be covered in…his blood." Gave her a warm smile and went to men's bathroom. Rachel just stood there, tear staining her cheeks.

"Hey, you alright?" Kono asked gently, taking in Rachel's fresh bruises.

"You're so kind to me. All of you. But I don't deserve it."

"Rachel, you're family. Of course you…"

"You don't understand. That bullet was meant for me! He jumped in front of it and he died in my arms. All to save me! I've been nothing but horrible to him for so long…" She broke off into sobs. Kono took the sobbing woman in her arms, heedless of the blood.

"Rachel, you know Danny would want it this way. That's just who he is. He protects people. And you do deserve this Rachel. You're family. When Danny first came here, we had to teach him a bit about how we do family here in Hawaii. To borrow a quote from Grace's favorite movie, 'Ohana means family. And family means no one gets left behind or forgotten'. Ohana extends to you, Rachel." She returned Kono's embrace and gave her a watery smile.

"Thank you, Kono. For everything."

"Of course. Now, why don't you get cleaned up for when Grace comes back?" Rachel took the bag and proceeded to the bathroom.

Once inside the safety of the men's room, Steve let the tough façade he had put up for Rachel fall away. He was shaking from the adrenaline wearing off, but also from fear of what might happen to his best friend. There had been so much blood. He tried to tell himself that Danny was a fighter and he would make it, but that didn't change the fact that his partner's heart had stopped beneath his fingers. He had felt the life leave his body. It didn't change the fact that Danny was currently fighting just to live another minute. The fresh clothes were nice, but they did little to help him forget the horrors he had seen. Steve savagely wiped away a smear of red on his cheek. Then he held his hand under the scalding water and scrubbed as hard as he could. No matter how hard he tried to get the blood off, he felt as if it had seeped into his pores. Chin walked in behind him. Without a word, he turned off the sink and inspected Steve's raw hands.

"It's over Steve. The blood's gone."

"No it's not. How do you get rid of an image like that Chin? Danny died. He died, Chin." Steve said, his voice breaking.

"I know, but I wouldn't count him out just yet. Danny doesn't give up, so neither can we." Steve nodded, and they left the bathroom together and settled in to wait for news on their friend.

**Last update for the night. I may or may not be able to update this weekend. I will try though! Keep hittin' that review button!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Uggg, I have so many ideas for stories, but I already have two going on. Guess I'll just have to wait until I finish these.**

They waited in silence, the air heavy with emotion. Every breath felt stolen, as if it should be given to Danny instead. Grace had come back down now. She was seated on Rachel's lap with her head on Steve's shoulder, staring straight ahead. They had all been like that for six hours. No one talked, no one touched a magazine, no one even jiggled a leg in anticipation. They just kept their eyes locked on the door through which the doctor would come to tell them about Danny and sat through every 'Code Blue' announcement, knowing full well it could be Danny whose heart had stopped. When at last a haggard looking man with blood spattered scrubs entered the room and called for family of Detective Williams, they all stood in a hurry. All but Grace, who's exhaustion had finally won out. _Maybe that's for the best, _Steve thought, depending on what the doctor had to say. Steve was about to speak, but the doctor stayed him with a hand.

"Let me start by saying that he is alive," they all sagged in relief. "but he is in critical condition. We did lose him twice on the table, but we were able to bring him back. The blood loss alone was devastating enough, but bullet also ripped a sizeable hole in his left lung. His right lung collapsed as a result of the strain put on it. We were able to patch up the hole and re-inflate them, however, he is on a ventilator for the foreseeable future. Right now we're most worried about pneumonia. We drained as much fluid from the lungs as possible, but he's still very much at risk." They all felt as if they had been physically slapped by the truths the doctor spoke. While they appreciated his honesty, they couldn't help but feel sick at what Danny had gone through.

"What…what are his chances, doc?" Steve asked, almost fearing the answer.

"As of right now, it's still up in the air. Maybe around twenty percent chance of survival. Those chances will go down if pneumonia develops. I'm sorry. I can let you see him now. He is in the ICU, so only one of you can stay long term, but you all can stay for a few minutes." They followed behind the doctor until they arrived at Danny's glass cubicle. With heavy hearts, they stepped through the door. There was not a dry eye in the room. Grace just trembled in shock at the sight of her invincible father lying so still in the bed. They all took up seats around Danny's bed. Rachel sat with Grace to his left side, Steve on his right, and Chin and Kono on either side of his legs.

"He looks so small." Rachel said at last. "Normally his personality makes him seem so big, larger than life even." Steve nodded. He could only stare at his partner, mentally willing those eyes to open. They sat there for half an hour before the doctor came in and told them only one could stay now. Chin and Kono had already opted to go handle the fallout from Stan's death. They still had to finish processing the house in Kahuku and on Summer Street. Rachel turned to Steve.

"You should stay." She said quietly. Steve was surprised by this. "Grace is so tired already. I just need to take her…" she faltered before the word _home._ Steve dug in his pocket and pulled out his house key and the key to Danny's Camaro. HPD had brought it over earlier.

"You and Grace can stay at my place. There's food in the fridge and a guest room made up up stairs and to the right. Grace has a few toys she left at my place as well."

"Steve, I couldn't possibly-" Steve cut her off.

"You can and you will. Like I said, you guys are family. We take care of our own. Besides, Grace has been there a million times. It'll be familiar." She thanked him and gave him a shy hug before she left. Now he was alone with Danny. He watched the various monitors. They were the only thing telling him that his partner was still alive.

"You gotta fight this Danny. We really need you. All of us. See, you think you're all alone on this island, but you're not, damn it! Can you not see how much we care about you? You can't leave us. Grace needs you, Rachel needs you, the team needs you, hell, I need you! You have to pull through." Steve managed to stay awake another few hours, but his waning adrenaline eventually overcame him and he fell asleep. He awoke to the shrill beeping of one of the monitors. He began to panic, but then grew confused when it wasn't his heart monitor. A nurse entered and began to take his vitals.

"What's going on?" Steve asked.

"That alarm indicates that his temperature has risen above safe levels. Right now he's sitting at 104.2 degrees." Steve's heart dropped.

"Pneumonia?"

"Most likely. But this is not a death sentence, Commander. He can still fight this. We've got him on a strong course of antibiotics to help combat the infection and we put a chest drain in to get rid of the fluid buildup." She gave him a warm smile and left. Steve sighed. He had been worried this would happen.

"You gotta stop scaring the hell out of me, Danno." He began to wipe down Danny's face with the cool water and towel the nurse had left. After about three hours of this, Steve noticed a small twitch in Danny's hand. A moment later, two sky blue eyes flickered open and found their way to Steve.

"Danny! Hey man, it's good to see you awake!" Danny's eyes began to fill with fear as he became aware of the tube in his throat. "Easy, easy Danno. That tube is there to help you breathe. Just let it do the work. You're not strong enough to do it on your own yet." He calmed a little, but the fear stayed. Accepting that talking wasn't an option, he grabbed Steve's hand and began to move his hands weakly. It took Steve a moment to realize that Danny was signing to him. _Since when does he know sign language?_ Steve thought. He concentrated on what Danny was spelling out. G-R-A-C-E…R-A-C-H-E-L. Steve smiled. _Always putting others first, huh Danno?_

"They're okay. Stan's dead, they're resting up at my place. Chin and Kono are still handling this whole mess with HPD. How do you feel?" Danny's hand began to move again. Y-O-U.

"Me? What do you mean?" Y-O-U…O-K. "I'm fine, Danno. It's you we're all worried about. You never answered my question. How do you feel? Any pain?" N-O…P-A-I-N…C-O-L-D. Steve nodded. "It's the infection Danny. You actually have a really high fever. They're doing everything they can for you, but you need to fight. Can you do that for me?" T-R-Y. "Not good enough, Danny. Promise me. For Gracie." Steve knew it was low, using his daughter like that, but he also knew it was affective. P-R-O-M-I-S-E…T-E-L-L…G-R-A-C-E…D-A-N-N-O…Steve stopped him before he could finish. Danny wouldn't tell him to say it unless he thought he would die. "No, Danny. You'll tell her yourself. I know what you mean, but you're going to get better and you'll tell her yourself." O-K. Danny's eyes fluttered, then closed again. Steve prayed he had done enough to keep his partner fighting.

**How am I doing? I'd love to hear your thoughts! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! I have so much going on right now.**

Steve settled back into his chair. He stayed awake for another hour, but soon dozed up. When he awoke, he was greeted with the smell of fresh coffee. Good stuff, too. Not that awful hospital crap. Rachel was standing in the doorway, holding two cups in her hands. Her bruises were fading into yellow, but the pain still looked fresh in her eyes.

"How is he?" she asked softly, holding out the cup of Starbucks to Steve.

"He's okay for now. He had a little setback last night." He saw Rachel stiffen.

"Pneumonia?" he nodded.

"His fever's pretty high, but they've got him on all sorts of antibiotics to clear that up. He seemed lucid enough when he was awake last night."

"He was awake? How did you talk to him the respirator?"

"Sign language of all things. He was concerned about you and Grace." They shared a knowing smile.

"Yes, Daniel always has been a bit of a worrier. And as for the sign language, I'm surprised he still remembers that." Steve gave her a quizzical look. "When Grace was very little," she explained, "she had some issues with her hearing. To keep her development on track, we all learned sign language so we could communicate with her. It was strange to see Danny talking to her so often, yet be so silent. Later, we got her hearing fixed and I forgot the sign language I'd learned. I guess Danny did it so much he never forgot." She smiled at the memory. "Please tell me he's fighting this."

"I think he is. I've been trying to get him to. I think I finally got through to him last night, though."

"Good, because when this is over, he and I are going to have a long talk about his neglect for his own personal well-being. I mean, he was shot, _in the head_, then continued to fight off my psycho husband and take a bullet in the lung." Steve smiled and sipped his coffee, imagining Rachel admonishing Danny the way his partner had so often scolded him. It made him happy because, in this little conjuring of his mind, Danny was strong and healthy. His smile faded when his eyes fell on the frail man in the bed that barely resembled his partner anymore.

"I'm going to go get Grace and bring her up. I left her with Kono because I didn't want her to walk in on something horrible." Rachel left and Steve took up Danny's hand in his own. It was bonier than he remembered. When Danny was strong enough, he was going to stuff him so full of coco puffs that he couldn't walk. He chuckled at the thought. Suddenly, Danny's fingers twitched and two hazy blue eyes found Steve's own. Steve felt his face break out into a wide, as Danny would say, goofy smile.

"Hey partner. How ya feelin'?" He watched Danny's hands. O-K…B-E-T-T-E-R…T-H-A-N…L-A-S-T…N-I-G-H-T. Steve nodded. "You look a bit better too. Your fever's down a bit." T-H-A-N-K…Y-O-U. "For what, Danno?" W-A-S…G-O-I-N-G…T-O…G-I-V-E…U-P…M-A-D-E…M-E…F-I-G- H-T. Steve smiled. "Anytime, Danno. You've done it for me more times than I care to remember. I'm just returning the favor, buddy." Danny smiled around the tube in his mouth. "Hey, you feelin' up to some visitors? Rachel's just gone to get Grace and the others." Danny nodded; weakly, but with feeling. A few seconds later, Grace came bounding into his room, holding a huge stuffed monkey in a polka dotted dress. Steve smiled, remembering what he had once overheard in a conversation with Danny and Grace. She ran to the edge of the bed, but then stopped, as if afraid to touch him.

"It's okay, Gracie. Just be gentle." Steve lifted her onto the edge of the bed, and she tucked the monkey into his arm. Danny's eyes glistened with unshed tears. He took her hand in his and began to move them like he had done with Steve. I…L-O-V-E…Y-O-U…M-O-N-K-E-Y. Grace smiled broadly. It was obvious she hadn't forgotten how to sign either. She signed back to him. L-O-V-E…Y-O-U…T-O-O…D-A-N-N-O. Steve watched with misty eyes as his partner and pseudo-niece shared a completely silent yet beautiful conversation. Rachel stood by him now, with Chin and Kono. He could tell they didn't understand the complex hand movements, but their meaning was clear. After maybe an hour, Grace curled into her father's uninjured side and fell asleep. The others stepped forward.

"Since I don't understand sign language," Kono began "would you mind using this white board instead?" She gave him a glowing smile. He nodded and accepted the board and marker.

"_Hey guys_!" He wrote in a shaky, yet joyful hand.

"Hey brah. How are you? You scared the hell out of me when you ran off like that in Kahuku." Chin scolded lightly. Danny smiled and putting the marker to the board once more.

"_Sorry!" _Chin smiled.

"It's alright. I think you scared Steve the most with all that crap about giving up."

"_Nah, the fearless Super SEAL?" _He wrote sarcastically. They all laughed, but underneath Steve's, Danny could hear the residual fear.

"_Hey, Steve. I'm ok. I'm getting better, alright? No need to give me that aneurism face anymore. You can yell at me later if you want." _Steve put his head down and gave his first real laugh since this whole mess had started.

"No, partner. I think I'll leave the yelling to Rachel here. She has a few choice words for about your, how did she put it? Ah…your 'neglect for own well-being'. I really can't wait to see your own words thrown back at you." he joked. Danny would have laughed if not for the respirator. He turned his gaze to Rachel expectantly.

"Not yet, Daniel. Not until you can yell back. I'll at least make it fair." She smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. They all laughed and settled into the room. They had cleared it with his doctor so they could all stay with him tonight. Danny fell asleep happy. Both of his monkeys were curled into his side, Rachel had her head on his shoulder and her hand in his, Steve sat awkwardly in a chair near the foot of his bed, his snores filling the room, and Chin and Kono were resting their heads on pillows near his legs. He had his Ohana. He drifted off thinking about how lucky he was to have landed on this God awful rock.

**There shall be one more chapter. I hope my ending works for you. As always, reviews are much appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Last Chapter, ya'll! Enjoy!**

Prologue

Three weeks later, Danny was being helped into his easy chair in his apartment by Steve. Rachel was in the kitchen with Grace making dinner. Chin was explaining to Grace all the old island customs he knew and Kono was setting the table. Danny looked around and smiled. He was still in pain from time to time, but he was healing. Rachel and Grace had moved in with him and the place held a woman's touch that had been absent these last few years. Danny had offered up his place when he sensed her reluctance to go back to the house she had been terrorized in. It was smaller to be sure, but it was bigger than the place they had had in Jersey. They were taking it slow, but as they had before, their relationship began to blossom once more. Charlie was back with Rachel, and she was touched by how readily Danny had accepted him as his own. Danny was more of a father to Charlie anyways. He had, after all, helped bring him into the world. Rachel had dyed her hair back to her natural brown. The red hair had been Stan's wish, not hers. It felt freeing to lose the unnatural color.

HPD's search of the house on Summer Street and subsequent investigation into Stan Edward's had turned up an excellently hidden drug connection. Not only was Stan a heavy user, but he also laundered money for the cartels through his hotels as well as providing places for wanted felons to stay while they conducted their business. Fortunately, Stan had kept records on everyone he dealt with and it was enough to cripple several minor cartels and to hurt a few major players as well. Steve had seen to cleaning out HPD of all of Stan's "friends" and they had been prosecuted with extreme prejudice.

Danny came back to the present as the incredible smells of lasagna, possibly his mother's recipe, drifted to him. He gave a contented sigh. Steve glanced towards the kitchen, and then leaned in conspiratorially.

"So, this time will you tell me about you and Rachel?" The smile that passed between them was reminiscent of two fifth graders talking about a prank they had pulled.

"Things are uh, things are good. We're going slow, but we're going to try it again. Between you and me, I think it will actually work this time. Grace seems happy about it. She's definitely glad about the end of tennis lessons." Steve smiled, then faltered. He was suddenly struck by a sad thought.

"So, if things work out, you'll be going back to Jersey?" Steve asked heavily. Danny shook his head.

"No, Jersey was part of the problem. And besides, we have family here now. We're not going to uproot Grace again. Don't you worry, Steven. You won't have to go partner hunting again." They both broke out laughing and, for the first time since he came off the respirator, it didn't end with a painful bout of coughing. Just then, Rachel walked into the living room. She looked gorgeous in her coral-colored capris and loose white blouse. Her hair was in a messy bun. To Stan, she would have looked appalling and he would have demanded her to change. To Danny, she was more beautiful with every passing second.

"What is so funny, boys?" She asked, hands on her hips in mock disapproval. Steve and Danny shared a look, then laughed harder. Rachel smiled.

"C'mon. I have your favorite. I remembered the recipe your mom taught me for that lasagna and I thought it would be perfect for tonight." Danny beamed at her. Rachel and Steve still had to help him stand, but he was able to make it to the table on his own. He took a seat between Rachel and Grace, his team seated opposite him. As they dug into dinner, Danny was struck by how much his life had changed recently. He had his family back and they were happier than ever. Sure, he had taken a few bullets, but considering the outcome, it was well worth the price.

**The End! I hope you guys liked it! Leave me a review if you can!**


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